Update

KNYSNA NEWS - The Knysna Taxi Forum (KTF) has apologised to its former secretary, Mandla Tyololo, for comments it made in the wake of the murder of Knysna Councillor Victor Molosi in 2018.

Tyololo, who was taken into custody and charged with conspiracy to commit murder in 2018 after Molosi's killing, was acquitted of all charges against him by the Knysna Regional Court in August this year.

Molosi was gunned down near his home in Concordia, Knysna on 23 July 2018 and the three men charged with his murder – former Ward 4 Councillor Velile Waxa, former municipal official Mawande Makhala and Cape Town resident Vela Patrick Dumile – were convicted of his murder on 11 December last year.

On 9 August 2018, Knysna-Plett Herald (KPH) reported that KTF member Xolani Tsese said the forum is going to distance itself from Tyololo and let justice run its course. 

"We had nothing to do with the incident. We are constantly working with the law and are not allowed to work with criminals, so in light of the allegations [against Tyololo] we think it is best to distance ourselves from him. We are vehemently against criminal activities of any kind," Tsese said at the time.

In a statement on Friday last week, the KTF apologised to Tyololo for the statement it made in August 2018. "Part of the said statement was that KTF is not allowed to work with criminals… This was unacceptable because Mr Tyololo was not convicted by a court of law," said KTF member Mpumelelo Sonjana.

He explained that as law-abiding citizens, the forum initially decided to allow the law to take its course. "Indeed, on 25 August 2020, our member was acquitted from all the charges he was charged for, we therefore accept and respect the court's decision and we hope that all the relevant parties will do the same and move on," he said.

This week, Tyololo told KPH he is still a member of the forum. "I am not the secretary of KTF anymore; I am just an ordinary member… My arrest did not affect my membership, it only affected my position in the forum," he said.

Tyololo thanked all those who supported him during his arrest and time in prison. "I do not want to say a lot about those who conspired and plotted against me with all their endeavours aiming at tarnishing my image and assassinating my character. I bless them," he said, and added that he hoped politicians would learn to stop using their political power to influence state organs just to fulfil their selfish and narrow interests. 

"I commend my sober legal team (Dercksens' Attorneys) – particularly Mr Jerome Bans – who represented me in court, for standing firm in ensuring that justice is served, and not to forget the judiciary for applying the law in my rescue while my future and life was about to be so mercilessly destroyed by my worst enemies."

He also said he is still a member of the ANC and that his position as the branch deputy chair at the time of his arrest is not occupied as yet. "I am still waiting for the branch leadership to give guidance," he said.